Following the bird flu outbreak in Nellore, Andhra Pradesh, poultry farms in Namakkal district are taking precautionary measures.
On February 7, hundreds of chickens died in poultry farms in Nellore. Samples were taken from the farms for test and reports confirmed that the chickens died of Avian Influenza (H5N1). Following this, poultry owners in Nellore culled hundreds of birds and the Andhra Pradesh government took action to prevent the spread of bird flu to other parts of the State. The government also banned the sale and transportation of chicken and eggs within a 10-km radius and also banned the sale of chicken meat for three months in nearby villages.
Following this, poultry farms in Namakkal took precautionary measures. There are over 1,500 poultry farms in Namakkal district with over five crore chickens. Eggs are being sent to Kerala, various parts of Tamil Nadu and foreign countries. The poultry owners are instructed by the poultry farm owners association to follow biosafety norms strictly. Every vehicle entering the farms is disinfected.
Chairman of Tamil Nadu Egg Poultry Farmers Marketing Society, Vangli Subramaniam, asked the public not to panic. In Namakkal district, every poultry farm followed biosafety norms strictly and the Animal Husbandry Department also gave instructions to the farms. While setting up the farm, adequate facilities were created for biosafety measures in Namakkal district. So people could buy chicken and meat as usual without any fear, he said.
“We urge the government to ban the use of plastic trays for eggs and instruct the use of paper trays. Plastic trays are moving from one farm to another in various districts and States and there is a chance for any disease to spread through plastic trays. Only vehicles are disinfected, not the trays,” Mr. Subramaniam added.
